


Cherry Blossoms

by DrawingBooks_Louayokes_5



Series: Markhyuck [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Feels, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, Hanahaki Disease, Heartache, Heartbreak, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Some Humor, Soulmates, you can't see colours until you recognise your soulmate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:40:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25453279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrawingBooks_Louayokes_5/pseuds/DrawingBooks_Louayokes_5
Summary: Mark was used to his colourless days and the constant coldness of his fingertips.He was used to being alone, used to stepping outside and knowing that the day would be the same as always.He knew it was like this to the day that he would recognise his soulmate.He wondered what it was like, to see them, and know what colour belonged to which name.One day, his mother came back from the hospital in tears, that he realised the dark sides of the soul bond. The downside to being soulmates – the universe doesn’t control when you find each other. And when the soulmate bond can’t override an existing bond: Hate, or even a very close Friendship, you die.----------Haechan and Mark are best friends. The summer after graduation, Mark has to go back to the States to find his soulmate. Will their friendship and new-found feelings for each other survive?
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: Markhyuck [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843375
Kudos: 4





	Cherry Blossoms

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ^^  
> I always thought Hanahaki disease was an interesting concept, and I live for soulmate AU’s. That’s why I decided to write about this.  
> Initially, I wanted to make this a one-shot.  
> Kid me not; this is going to be very long and heart-breaking. Who wants tissues?  
> I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a kudo and comments. I appreciate any kind of feedback ^^

Mark was used to his colourless days and the constant coldness of his fingertips.

He was used to being alone, used to stepping outside and knowing that the day would be the same as always.

He knew it was like this to the day that he would recognise his soulmate.

He had been told that the colours would start to bloom all around him. Slowly, he’d see them – _green, red, yellow, blue, purple, orange, pink, brown, …_ not just shades of black and white.

Mark was looking forward to that day as much as any other child.

He wondered what it was like, to see them, and know what colour belonged to which name.

It was when he was only thirteen and his mother came back from the hospital in tears, that he realised the dark sides of the soul bond.

His mother took a long time to settle down.

When she finally stopped crying so hard that her whole body shook, she explained to him that “Sweety, your sister isn’t coming back.”

People say you have a soulmate, you get it, and you are destined to be together.

But sometimes, soulmate bonds would be flawed. Some people could have experienced bad childhoods. And such people couldn’t form a bond. Or perhaps the soulmate would simply have died.

But none of that had happened to his sister. Her soulmate had been her best friend.

The downside to being soulmates – the universe doesn’t control when you find each other. And when the soulmate bond can’t override an existing bond: Hate, or even a very close Friendship, you die.

He had seen his sister and her soulmate at the funeral.

He had cried. He had looked at their faces and had seen how hollow they looked.

There was no cure for Hanahaki. If you don’t become soulmates, you die.

It’s as simple and as cruel as that.

Some people make it. When there’s enough existing love between the soul mates, Hanahaki can be soothed. There is a therapy for that.

But all therapy came too late for his sister.

🌸

Mark nearly fell off the bed.

His hand shot out to hold on to whatever he could reach – which ended up being Haechan’s leg and screeched.

“You ok?” Haechan asked, amusement in his voice.

“Yeah, sure.” _Just embarrassed._

Haechan was still laughing at him when Mark made it back into his original position.

“It’s not even that scary.”

Mark acted as if the scene was especially gripping and stared at the TV. The main actress was making her way through the dark corridor and kept flinching at every noise she heard.

“Ok, well, ignore me.”

The movie had been Hyuck’s idea. They were sitting comfortably on Haechan’s bed, right next to one another.

“Do you believe it? There goes her soulmate.”

“Huh?”

“You saw it! He’s dead, there!”

“Uh, yeah.”

Haechan took the remote and paused the movie. Mark’s first thought was: Oh damn, he knows I didn’t pay attention, but when he saw Haechan’s face, he saw how thoughtful the boy looked.

“Do you want it?”

“Uh … I can’t follow, want what?”

“That thing with the soulmates. You know, you meet someone who’s only for you. And you fall in love.”

“Hyuck, the soul mate bond is a gift.”

He had met Haechan at school on their first day of middle school. Back then, Haechan had been the first to talk to the quiet boy from Canada. They’d ended up in the same class because Mark needed to repeat it since he wasn’t very good at school after what happened to his sister.

Haechan had seen him crying, had comforted him, and since then they were friends – inseparable.

Even though he’d never told Haechan what had happened, in his household, there was no word of his sister. Just an empty, locked room.

Haechan didn’t let it go. He stood up and strode around the room, movie forgotten. “I know. That’s what you say every time. Why can the universe decide who we’re going to be together with for the rest of our life? I don’t think it’s ok; we should be able to decide for ourselves.”

Mark frowned.

“I fell in love before and was loved back. And only because the universe wants it so, we can’t choose but are chosen?”

Mark sighed deeply. He knew it was pointless. “Hyuck, no one questions a soul bond. Look, all I know is; when I find my soulmate, I think I’m going to love them whole-heartedly. I know that soulmates aren’t as romantic as we make them out to be, and a lot goes wrong.”

The bed creaked when Hyuck threw himself back on it. “My parents met before the soulmate bond triggered, you know. They didn’t know for years, and suddenly, they went from friends to lovers, just like that.”

Mark froze up. Haechan had never told him that. “Your parents were pretty young when they first met, weren’t they? Maybe it was already there, but never really triggered because they were too used to each other’s space.” _As if I need to wonder. I know exactly what they needed to go through._

“They said it was painful and way too fast.”

 _So apparently his parents overcame it._ Mark fixed his eyes back on the TV. He couldn’t cry right now.

“I only want to know what it’s like,” Mark said.

_I want to know that I belong to someone._

🌸

It was the summer after graduation.

Mark was going to the States. His mother was the one to put him up for that. “Your soulmate was also born there. Just like you. Soulmates are usually in the same country.”

Mark complied. That had been why they’d moved – to protect Mark from forming a bond as his sister had had.

Hyuck and he sat on the bench in the park. “How long will it be until you’re back from the states?” Hyuck asked his hands tightly around the ice cream.

“I don’t know, Hyuck. My mom wants me to find my soul mate, and then I’ll perhaps come back with them.”

The trees behind them lay a comfortable shadow on them both. The sun above was blinding on their way here, and Mark could still feel the warmth of it on his skin, despite that it couldn’t reach him.

He hoped this was what it would be like with Haechan – his sun.

“I know it’s super kitschy and you probably don’t want to hear it,” Mark started. “But Hyuck, you’re my best friend. Even if I can’t see you, nor hug you. You’ll still be with me.”

Haechan glanced into the sun. “You need to find your soulmate … in Canada?”

“I was born in the US,” Mark explained. He was a bit disappointed that Haechan would ignore his words like this.

“Oh, ok.” Haechan was quiet for some time as if he was thinking really hard about something.

The wind rustled through the trees. It was a gentle breeze. They finished their ice creams and walked to the trash bins to throw them away.

Haechan stopped Mark and made him face him. “You, too, you know. Even if I can’t see you, I’ll always think of you. I don’t care if it’s kitschy. I don’t want you to leave me.”

Mark watched his friend closely. The fidgeting hands, the furrowed brows.

There was too much he wanted to say at that moment.

His heart was full of the words but saying them could end up changing everything.

“Come with me to the airport.”

“No,” Haechan said. “I- I’d only disrupt the time with your family.”

“We have this weekend.” Mark really wanted to stay.

“Don’t you want to spend it with your family?”

Mark took Haechan’s hand in his and caressed the top of it. He never did things like this. But these past days, he could only think of how he had to leave Haechan. Had to leave home, leave everything behind. And it was destroying a part of him.

“No. I want to spend it with you.”


End file.
